You don't know what you have until it's gone. That's very much the case with all NRK - Non Resident Keralite - in the case of things related to their homeland. With the festival of Onam beginning tomorrow, social media is already swelling up with 'missing/enjoying home/onam' by the said NRKs.
And for the first time in five years, yours truly is not on the list of the said NRKs.
The Onam that I used to have before my 'vanwas' to the North of India was pretty much uneventful. My family is not known to celebrate Onam as such. That isn't meant to be disrespectful to the festival, but a fact that was because the basic reasons of celebrating Onam was already satisfied at our place throughout the year.
Onam is traditionally a harvest festival. The story of 'Mahabali' is entwined with this very much. So, the festival is now celebrated as the homecoming of the Greatest King to rule over this land. And as in celebrating any festival, Onam calls for a gathering of all relatives and a sumptuous feast. But the problem was that most of my relatives live close by, and we are not that inclined to indulge in feasts. So, in the end, every day felt like Onam - or more to the point - Onam felt like any other day.
But all this changed once I left my homeland to the varied landscape of Delhi. Without the comforting sight of swaying coconut trees and crows in flight, the yearning for something resembling home is very high on each NRK's priority list. And celebrating Onam grandly in such faraway lands provide at least a temporary respite for them.
Everyone cleans up for the celebration. They make different types of "pookalam" - floral decoration. They put on their "onakodis" - new dress that is bought to wear for Onam. They practise "thiruvathira" - a dance form. They prepare the "onasadhya" - the feast. They gather everyone - from their locality, from their office, inviting friends of their friends, even complete strangers. And this is how a NRK celebrates his Onam. Not in all, but most cases, this celebration would also include copious amount of liquor of the foreign kind and beef fry of the homely kind.
Even though I was home for three Onams out of the four years that I spent at Delhi, I enjoyed my NRK Onam more than the one at home. Playing the role of guests in 2010 & 2011 at IIT Delhi, in 2012 at Tomychan's and Sreekumarettan's places, then turning into hosts for 2013, holding the festivities at our own place with our own sadhya.
And we arrive at the Onam for 2014. And it's special - not just because it's one I'll celebrate at home, but because it is laying the foundation for an even better Onam in 2015. But even though there will be changes in the places, the people, the situation, etc etc, some things will always remain constant - things which make every Onam special. And for this week's "5 things", we'll revisit what was written last year - all these things which make Onam special.
***
1. Pookalam
Nothing, but floored Floral decoration.
2. Onasadhya
Please don't be alarmed. This is only the minimum required accompaniments.
3. Onakodi
4. All the people
5. Mahabali
***
Malayalis might right now think of Onam more in terms of discount sales and exchange offers. To anyone talking about Onam, my mom (having learned it from some comedy show) says "Onam is when you can exchange anything, but your parents."
But Onam is a lot more than that. The true meaning of Onam lies in the above mentioned "5 things". Onam is about being creative, about having delicious food to eat, about having brand new clothes to wear, about sharing all these with your near and dear, about remembering an age of unmatched governance.
After this, I plan to go out and see my city decorated with lights and sights. In the company of my friends, without the thought of an impending departure casting a dark shadow over every bright moment, I'm going to enjoy this year's Onam in all its splendor that this land has to offer. This Onam will be the first one that I celebrate knowing the true essence of the festival. In a way, this is my first Onam in Kerala.
***
In case you are interested in further reading about Onam, I would recommend you to visit the following link, where the author describes the onsadhya in minute detail.
http://www.cucumbertown.com/gods-own-feast-ival-onam
***
***
But all this changed once I left my homeland to the varied landscape of Delhi. Without the comforting sight of swaying coconut trees and crows in flight, the yearning for something resembling home is very high on each NRK's priority list. And celebrating Onam grandly in such faraway lands provide at least a temporary respite for them.
Everyone cleans up for the celebration. They make different types of "pookalam" - floral decoration. They put on their "onakodis" - new dress that is bought to wear for Onam. They practise "thiruvathira" - a dance form. They prepare the "onasadhya" - the feast. They gather everyone - from their locality, from their office, inviting friends of their friends, even complete strangers. And this is how a NRK celebrates his Onam. Not in all, but most cases, this celebration would also include copious amount of liquor of the foreign kind and beef fry of the homely kind.
Even though I was home for three Onams out of the four years that I spent at Delhi, I enjoyed my NRK Onam more than the one at home. Playing the role of guests in 2010 & 2011 at IIT Delhi, in 2012 at Tomychan's and Sreekumarettan's places, then turning into hosts for 2013, holding the festivities at our own place with our own sadhya.
And we arrive at the Onam for 2014. And it's special - not just because it's one I'll celebrate at home, but because it is laying the foundation for an even better Onam in 2015. But even though there will be changes in the places, the people, the situation, etc etc, some things will always remain constant - things which make every Onam special. And for this week's "5 things", we'll revisit what was written last year - all these things which make Onam special.
***
1. Pookalam
Nothing, but floored Floral decoration.
2. Onasadhya
Please don't be alarmed. This is only the minimum required accompaniments.
3. Onakodi
4. All the people
5. Mahabali
***
Malayalis might right now think of Onam more in terms of discount sales and exchange offers. To anyone talking about Onam, my mom (having learned it from some comedy show) says "Onam is when you can exchange anything, but your parents."
But Onam is a lot more than that. The true meaning of Onam lies in the above mentioned "5 things". Onam is about being creative, about having delicious food to eat, about having brand new clothes to wear, about sharing all these with your near and dear, about remembering an age of unmatched governance.
After this, I plan to go out and see my city decorated with lights and sights. In the company of my friends, without the thought of an impending departure casting a dark shadow over every bright moment, I'm going to enjoy this year's Onam in all its splendor that this land has to offer. This Onam will be the first one that I celebrate knowing the true essence of the festival. In a way, this is my first Onam in Kerala.
***
In case you are interested in further reading about Onam, I would recommend you to visit the following link, where the author describes the onsadhya in minute detail.
http://www.cucumbertown.com/gods-own-feast-ival-onam
***
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| pullikalli |
***
So, that's all for this week then.
Have a great weekend and an even better Onam!!
'til next week.
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